The present invention relates to a passenger conveyor system, and more particularly to adjustable brackets for step flange covers in escalators and moving walks.
A typical passenger conveyor, such as an escalator or moving walk, includes a series of tread plates, a frame, a drive, a step chain and a pair of balustrade assemblies. The frame comprises a truss section on both the left and right hand sides of the frame. Each truss section has two end sections forming landings, connected by an inclined midsection. Matching pairs of roller tracks are attached on the inside of each truss section, i.e. the side of the truss section facing the other truss section. The upper landing usually houses the escalator drive between the trusses. The drive powers a pair of step chain sprockets, which in turn impart motion to the step chain to move the tread plates. The step chain and tread plates travel a closed loop, running from one elevation to the other elevation, and back.
The individual steps of an escalator typically move in a very narrow “channel” defined by panel elements that are commonly referred to as the skirt boards or panels. These skirt boards are attached to the frame of the escalator, and therefore remain fixed as the steps move therebetween. In order to reduce the risk that objects are pulled into and trapped in the gap on each side between the steps and the skirt board, this gap is kept very small. However, minimizing the gap between steps and skirt boards significantly increases installation and maintenance costs and complexity. One alternative escalator configuration includes a “guarded step” wherein a panel having flanges is attached to the step at each side, thereby eliminating the gap. Another alternative escalator configuration with a very small gap between steps and skirt boards includes a “moving skirt” or skirt boards that move in the same direction and speed as the steps. Moving skirts substantially reduce the risk of trapping objects in the gap between the step and skirt boards, because there is no relative motion between the two components.
One design challenge in passenger conveyors that employ a moving skirt is positioning a cover that is connected to the frame and forms the junction between the moving skirt and the stationary conveyor structure. The step flange cover, as it is sometimes called, needs to be positioned precisely with respect to the moving skirt to minimize the gap between the moving skirt, i.e. the step flanges, and the cover.